Trump Signed The Executive Order We’ve All Been Waiting For!

Kirsters Baish| There are certain things that Americans have been hoping that President Trump takes care of during his time in office, and our Commander in Chief made it clear while running back in 2016 that taking care of our nation’s veterans was one of his top priorities. In fact, outside of immigration, taking care of our nation’s veterans was one of Trump’s biggest initiatives. Last year, President Trump took some huge steps towards reforming the VA and helping our vets.

David Shulkin, Veterans Affairs Secretary, reminded us that the first year after leaving the armed forces in America was a very risky time for our veterans. This is the time period in which they are at the highest risk for suicide. He also noted that around 20 veterans commit suicide every single day in our country. He went on to explain that this is an “unacceptable number.” Shulkin went on to say, “I’ve identified the issue of preventing veteran suicides as one of our top priorities.” He explained that only 40% of members of the military actually have mental health coverage right now.

The reason this executive order matters so much if because it directs the Defense, Homeland Security, as well as Veterans Affairs secretaries to work on creating a strategy within 60 days to create “seamless access” for United States veterans. This gives them a year’s worth of coverage for any kind of mental health treatment as well as suicide prevention resources, which we so desperately need in our country.

It’s wonderful to finally have a president in office who truly cares about the well-being of our armed forces.